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Eslami H, Müller-Plathe F. Self-Assembly Pathways of Triblock Janus Particles into 3D Open Lattices. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2306337. [PMID: 37990935 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of triblock Janus particles is simulated from a fluid to 3D open lattices: pyrochlore, perovskite, and diamond. The coarse-grained model explicitly takes into account the chemical details of the Janus particles (attractive patches at the poles and repulsion around the equator) and it contains explicit solvent particles. Hydrodynamic interactions are accounted for by dissipative particle dynamics. The relative stability of the crystals depends on the patch width. Narrow, intermediate, and wide patches stabilize the pyrochlore-, the perovskite-, and the diamond-lattice, respectively. The nucleation of all three lattices follows a two-step mechanism: the particles first agglomerate into a compact and disordered liquid cluster, which does not crystallize until it has grown to a threshold size. Second, the particles reorient inside this cluster to form crystalline nuclei. The free-energy barriers for the nucleation of pyrochlore and perovskite are ≈10 kBT, which are close to the nucleation barriers of previously studied 2D kagome lattices. The barrier height for the nucleation of diamond, however, is much larger (>20 kBT), as the symmetry of the triblock Janus particles is not perfect for a diamond structure. The large barrier is associated with the reorientation of particles, i.e., the second step of the nucleation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Eslami
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Persian Gulf University, Boushehr, 75168, Iran
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Straße 8, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Florian Müller-Plathe
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Straße 8, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany
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Akarsu P, Reinicke S, Lehnen AC, Bekir M, Böker A, Hartlieb M, Reifarth M. Fabrication of Patchy Silica Microspheres with Tailor-Made Patch Functionality using Photo-Iniferter Reversible-Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (PI-RAFT) Polymerization. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2301761. [PMID: 37381652 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202301761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Their inherent directional information renders patchy particles interesting building blocks for advanced applications in materials science. In this study, a feasible method to fabricate patchy silicon dioxide microspheres is demonstrated, which they are able to equip with tailor-made polymeric materials as patches. Their fabrication method relies on a solid-state supported microcontact printing (µCP) routine optimized for the transfer of functional groups to capillary-active substrates, which is used to introduce amino functionalities as patches to a monolayer of particles. Acting as anchor groups for polymerization, photo-iniferter reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) is used to graft polymer from the patch areas. Accordingly, particles with poly(N-acryloyl morpholine), poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), and poly(n-butyl acrylate) are prepared as representative acrylic acid-derived functional patch materials. To facilitate their handling in water, a passivation strategy of the particles for aqueous systems is introduced. The protocol introduced here, therefore, promises a vast degree of freedom in engineering the surface properties of highly functional patchy particles. This feature is unmatched by other techniques to fabricate anisotropic colloids. The method, thus, can be considered a platform technology, culminating in the fabrication of particles that possess locally precisely formed patches on particles at a low µm scale with a high material functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinar Akarsu
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Reinicke
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne-Catherine Lehnen
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marek Bekir
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexander Böker
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Matthias Hartlieb
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martin Reifarth
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
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Besley E. Recent Developments in the Methods and Applications of Electrostatic Theory. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:2267-2277. [PMID: 37585560 PMCID: PMC10483694 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
ConspectusThe review improves our understanding of how electrostatic interactions in the electrolyte, gas phase, and on surfaces can drive the fragmentation and assembly of particles. This is achieved through the overview of our advanced theoretical and computational modeling toolbox suitable for interpretation of experimental observations and discovery of novel, tunable assemblies and architectures. In the past decade, we have produced a significant, fundamental body of work on the development of comprehensive theories based on a rigorous mathematical foundation. These solutions are capable of accurate predictions of electrostatic interactions between dielectric particles of arbitrary size, anisotropy, composition, and charge, interacting in solvents, ionized medium, and on surfaces. We have applied the developed electrostatic approaches to describe physical and chemical phenomena in dusty plasma and planetary environments, in Coulomb fission and electrospray ionization processes, and in soft matter, including a counterintuitive but widespread attraction between like-charged particles.Despite its long history, the search for accurate methods to provide a deeper understanding of electrostatic interactions remains a subject of significant interest, as manifested by a constant stream of theoretical and experimental publications. While major international effort in this area has focused predominantly on the computational modeling of biocatalytic and biochemical performance, we have expanded the boundaries of accuracy, generality, and applicability of underlying theories. Simple solvation models, often used in calculating the electrostatic component of molecular solvation energy and polarization effects of solvent, rarely go beyond the induced dipole approximation because of computational costs. These approximations are generally adequate at larger separation distances; however, as particles approach the touching point, more advanced charged-induced multipolar descriptions of the electrostatic interactions are required to describe accurately a collective behavior of polarizable neutral and charged particles. At short separations, the electrostatic forces involving polarizable dielectric and conducting particles become nonadditive which necessitates further developments of quantitatively accurate many-body approaches. In applications, the electrostatic response of materials is commonly controlled by externally applied electric fields, an additional complex many-body problem that we have addressed most recently, both theoretically and numerically.This review reports on the most significant results and conclusions underpinning these recent advances in electrostatic theory and its applications. We first discuss the limitations of classical approaches to interpreting electrostatic phenomena in electrolytes and complex plasmas, leading to an extended analytical theory suitable for accurate estimation of the electrostatic forces in a dilute solution of a strong electrolyte. We then introduce the concept and numerical realization of many-body electrostatic theory focusing on its performance in selected experimental cases. These experiments underpin, among other applications, electrostatic self-assembly of two-dimensional lattice structures, melting of ionic colloidal crystals in an external electric field, and coalescence of charged clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Besley
- School of Chemistry, University
of Nottingham, University
Park NG2 7RD, U.K.
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Hassan M, Williamson C, Baptiste J, Braun S, Stace AJ, Besley E, Stamm B. Manipulating Interactions between Dielectric Particles with Electric Fields: A General Electrostatic Many-Body Framework. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:6281-6296. [PMID: 36075051 PMCID: PMC9558380 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We derive a rigorous analytical formalism and propose a numerical method for the quantitative evaluation of the electrostatic interactions between dielectric particles in an external electric field. This formalism also allows for inhomogeneous charge distributions, and, in particular, for the presence of pointlike charges on the particle surface. The theory is based on a boundary integral equation framework and yields analytical expressions for the interaction energy and net forces that can be computed in linear scaling cost, with respect to the number of interacting particles. We include numerical results that validate the proposed method and show the limitations of the fixed dipole approximation at small separation between interacting particles. The proposed method is also applied to study the stability and melting of ionic colloidal crystals in an external electric field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Hassan
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Université de Paris, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions (LJLL), F-75005Paris, France
| | - Connor Williamson
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua Baptiste
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Stefanie Braun
- Institute of Applied Analysis and Numerical Simulation, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Anthony J Stace
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Besley
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Stamm
- Institute of Applied Analysis and Numerical Simulation, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569Stuttgart, Germany
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Wu J, Li J, Liu X, Gong L, Chen J, Tang Z, Lin W, Mu Y, Lin X, Hong W, Yi G, Chen X. Unclonable Photonic Crystal Hydrogels with Controllable Encoding Capacity for Anticounterfeiting. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:2369-2380. [PMID: 34958565 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c20905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the formation of random sparkling microcrystallines in naturally precious opals, we develop a new strategy to produce a class of unclonable photonic crystal hydrogels (UPCHs) induced by the electrostatic interaction effect, which further achieve unclonable encoding/decoding and random high-encrypted patterns along with an ultrahigh and controllable encoding capacity up to ca. 2 × 10166055. Owing to the randomness of colloidal crystals in the self-assembly process, UPCHs with randomly distributed sparkling spots are endowed with unpredictable/unrepeatable characteristics. This, coupled with the water response of UPCHs with angle dependence and robustness, can upgrade the encryption level and address some limitations of easy fading, limited durability, and high cost in practical uses of existing unclonable materials. Interestingly, UPCHs can be readily patterned to exhibit reliable and rapid authentication by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning, which can find broad applications in developing unbreakable and portable information storage/steganography systems not limited to anticounterfeiting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyu Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Jiawei Li
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Xiaochun Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Li Gong
- Instrumental Analysis Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. China
| | - Jiayao Chen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. China
| | - Zilun Tang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Wenjing Lin
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yingxiao Mu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Xiaofeng Lin
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Wei Hong
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. China
| | - Guobin Yi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Xudong Chen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P. R. China
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Obolensky OI, Doerr TP, Yu YK. Rigorous treatment of pairwise and many-body electrostatic interactions among dielectric spheres at the Debye-Hückel level. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2021; 44:129. [PMID: 34661792 PMCID: PMC8523465 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00131-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Electrostatic interactions among colloidal particles are often described using the venerable (two-particle) Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) approximation and its various modifications. However, until the recent development of a many-body theory exact at the Debye-Hückel level (Yu in Phys Rev E 102:052404, 2020), it was difficult to assess the errors of such approximations and impossible to assess the role of many-body effects. By applying the exact Debye-Hückel level theory, we quantify the errors inherent to DLVO and the additional errors associated with replacing many-particle interactions by the sum of pairwise interactions (even when the latter are calculated exactly). In particular, we show that: (1) the DLVO approximation does not provide sufficient accuracy at shorter distances, especially when there is an asymmetry in charges and/or sizes of interacting dielectric spheres; (2) the pairwise approximation leads to significant errors at shorter distances and at large and moderate Debye lengths and also gets worse with increasing asymmetry in the size of the spheres or magnitude or placement of the charges. We also demonstrate that asymmetric dielectric screening, i.e., the enhanced repulsion between charged dielectric bodies immersed in media with high dielectric constant, is preserved in the presence of free ions in the medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- O I Obolensky
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
- The A.F. Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - T P Doerr
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Yi-Kuo Yu
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA.
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7
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Stuij S, Rouwhorst J, Jonas HJ, Ruffino N, Gong Z, Sacanna S, Bolhuis PG, Schall P. Revealing Polymerization Kinetics with Colloidal Dipatch Particles. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:108001. [PMID: 34533362 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.108001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Limited-valency colloidal particles can self-assemble into polymeric structures analogous to molecules. While their structural equilibrium properties have attracted wide attention, insight into their dynamics has proven challenging. Here, we investigate the polymerization dynamics of semiflexible polymers in 2D by direct observation of assembling divalent particles, bonded by critical Casimir forces. The reversible critical Casimir force creates living polymerization conditions with tunable chain dissociation, association, and bending rigidity. We find that unlike dilute polymers that show exponential size distributions in excellent agreement with Flory theory, concentrated samples exhibit arrest of rotational and translational diffusion due to a continuous isotropic-to-nematic transition in 2D, slowing down the growth kinetics. These effects are circumvented by the addition of higher-valency particles, cross linking the polymers into networks. Our results connecting polymer flexibility, polymer interactions, and the peculiar isotropic-nematic transition in 2D offer insight into the polymerization processes of synthetic two-dimensional polymers and biopolymers at membranes and interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Stuij
- Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Joep Rouwhorst
- Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hannah J Jonas
- van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nicola Ruffino
- Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Zhe Gong
- Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003-6688, USA
| | - Stefanno Sacanna
- Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003-6688, USA
| | - Peter G Bolhuis
- van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Peter Schall
- Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Rocha BC, Paul S, Vashisth H. Enhanced Porosity in Self-Assembled Morphologies Mediated by Charged Lobes on Patchy Particles. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:3208-3215. [PMID: 33734699 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c11096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Colloidal patchy particles are particles with anisotropic "patches" decorating their surfaces. Several properties of these patches including their size, number, location, and interactions provide control over self-assembly of patchy particles into structures with desired properties. We report on simulation studies of particles where patches take the form of lobes. Based on the number and locations of lobes, these particles have different shapes (trigonal planar, square planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal, and octahedral). We investigated the effect of incorporating charges on the lobes in achieving porous self-assembled morphologies across a range of temperatures. We observed that an increase in the charge on the lobe resulted in lobed particles assembling over a wider range of temperatures. We also observed that the lobed particles with charges self-assembled into structures with enhanced porosity in comparison to lobed particles without charges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brunno C Rocha
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, United States
| | - Sanjib Paul
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York City, New York 10003, United States
| | - Harish Vashisth
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, United States
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